CVE-2016-10933 in portaudio Crate
Summary
by MITRE
An issue was discovered in the portaudio crate through 0.7.0 for Rust. There is a man-in-the-middle issue because the source code is downloaded over cleartext HTTP.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/04/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-10933 resides within the portaudio crate version 0.7.0 and earlier for the rust programming language, representing a significant security flaw that compromises the integrity of software supply chains. This issue stems from the crate's reliance on cleartext HTTP protocols for downloading source code components, creating an exploitable vector that allows malicious actors to intercept and manipulate the downloaded artifacts during transit. The vulnerability specifically affects developers who depend on this crate for audio processing capabilities in their rust applications, potentially exposing them to supply chain attacks that can compromise the entire software development lifecycle.
The technical flaw manifests as a failure to implement secure transport mechanisms when retrieving external dependencies, directly violating established security best practices for software distribution. When the portaudio crate attempts to download source code over HTTP instead of HTTPS, it creates an environment where attackers can perform man-in-the-middle attacks by intercepting network traffic between the developer's system and the remote servers hosting the source code. This vulnerability falls under the category of insecure download protocols and represents a clear violation of the principle of least privilege and secure communication practices that are fundamental to modern software development security.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond individual development environments to potentially compromise entire software ecosystems that rely on the affected crate. Attackers who successfully exploit this weakness can inject malicious code into the downloaded source packages, which would then be compiled and executed by unsuspecting developers. This creates a sophisticated attack vector that can lead to code injection, data exfiltration, or system compromise when the modified source code is integrated into applications. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates at the foundational level of software distribution, where the integrity of source code is paramount to maintaining trust in the software supply chain.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-10933 require immediate attention from developers and maintainers of affected systems. The primary solution involves updating to a newer version of the portaudio crate that implements secure HTTPS connections for source code retrieval, effectively closing the cleartext HTTP attack vector. Organizations should also implement network monitoring to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts, while establishing secure software supply chain practices that include dependency verification and integrity checks. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-319, which specifically addresses cleartext transmission of sensitive information, and represents a clear example of how insecure communication protocols can create persistent security risks. The remediation process should include comprehensive security audits of all dependencies to ensure that no other components in the software stack rely on insecure transmission methods, as outlined in the ATT&CK framework's software supply chain attack techniques.